We made it (thank god it was just a dream)
by KatePryde
Summary: She felt heavy in his arms. But she was there.
1. Chapter 1: Daryl

Her body is heavy in his arms. He wonders at that. _Why should someone so small feel so heavy? _

Unfortunately, he has no answer.

In order to lift her, he had to sidestep the puddle of her blood. It almost made him sick, right then and there, thinking about all the red that surrounds them. It is then that he notices Dawn's blood making its way over to Beth, and it is then that he grabs her to him and heaves her up.

He refuses to let any part of that killer near her.

Carol is sobbing next to him, reaching out to stroke Beth's hair. He wishes that he could scream at her to stop, to leave Beth alone, but he doesn't dare. Right now, it looks as if a single word would blow her over and kill her within a second. Carol has looked frail before, but this is something that Daryl has not ever seen. It scares him.

Rick is staring at him. He knows that his brother sees the tears running down his face, but he doesn't care. Rick is crying too, after all. Daryl hasn't seen him cry this hard since they lost Lori. It makes this all the more real.

In the background, he can hear all the cops and hospital personal leaving the hallway. One of them has already picked up Dawn's body.

_Good,_ he thinks, we need to be alone.

Suddenly, he's outside, and he's not really sure how he got there. He can see figures in front of them, but it isn't until he hears Maggie scream that he knows who they are.

_Damn. Should've cleaned her up or something. _

Maggie is the last Green left on this earth. It breaks his heart as he listens to her.

Glenn is holding his wife as tight as he possibly can, just like he is holding Beth. He knows that the two of them won't let go for a while.

He's on his knees now, sobbing his eyes out as he strokes the hair out of her face.

**You're gonna be the last man standing, Daryl Dixon. **

It kills him that she was right.

* * *

He sits up suddenly, gasping in the small tent. He's shaking, but he doesn't know why.

_Dammit, that was one fucked up dream. _

For one brief second, he's so scared it was real. His hand snakes over to the other side of the structure, only to meet warm flesh and small puffs of breath. As he settles back down he lets out a small sigh of relief.

_So it was just a dream then. Good. _

"Daryl," he hears her whisper, "You okay?"

"Yeah baby," he croons, "Get some sleep."

"Nah," she says, moving over to lay her head on his chest and sling her arm over his waist, "I wanna know what's gotcha so upset."

"It was just a dream," he replies quietly, "A scary, terrifying dream, but still just a dream. It wasn't real."

"It was the hospital, wasn't it?"

He hates that sometimes, the thing that she does where she knows him better than he knows himself. But it's also something that makes him love her.

"Yeah. You didn't make it out."

She grabs his hand and brings it up to the small scar on her forehead. It's silent in the dark except for their breathing, and he strokes his hand over her hair.

"It was just a graze, Daryl. I'm fine."

"But you might not have been," he says in the gruff voice of his.

"I thought we said we weren't doing the might-have-beens or what-ifs any more?"

He sighs because he knows that she's right.

"Alright then," she continues, before gasping slightly.

"What is it," he asks worriedly.

"Nothing. Just moving, that's all."

She brings his hand down to her stomach, and he feels the roundness of her. It's small, small enough that they haven't told the others yet. A part of him loves it, this little secret, and feeling what he's done to her gives him a small rush of animalistic pride. But he's also worried, remembering what happened to Lori. He'd die before it happens to her.

"Hey," she says as she smooths the wrinkles from his face, "I'm not going anywhere."

"I know. After all, I'm the last one, right?"

"Right."

"Yah know something baby?"

"What?" she asks.

"Thank God ya changed my mind."

* * *

**My first attempt at TWD fanfiction. Let me know how it is, and if I should expand it!**


	2. Chapter 2: Rick

**_When I found out that Beth had died in TWD, I was in an Atlanta hotel with several of my friends. We had had a long day, and everyone was asleep but me. I was watching the end of Coda, and thinking, "Finally!" Beth is coming back and we can see where her and Daryl are going. _**

**_Then the gunshot happened, all three of my friends sat straight up and screamed. I just sat there. I have never been so disappointed in a TV series. I honestly don't think that I can watch TWD anymore. _**

**_But hey, we still have fanfiction, just like DarylDixon'sgirl1985 said. (Thanks for the kind review, BTW). So we won't have Beth in the show anymore. But here, on this site, she will never die. :)_**

**_I can't believe this has over 50 hits in one night. Thanks everyone!_**

**_Reviewers for chapter one: _**

**_DarylDixon'sgirl1985_**

**_terrazas14_**

**_mysticaloricalmandi123_**

* * *

**Rick**

_Maggie is going to skin him alive, before burning him at the stake. _

He stares at them with a knowing look. Daryl is being far to obvious, has been far to obvious ever since he found out. They're not being careful. Not being discreet. His brother is going to get himself killed.

He's glad for them, really he is. Thinking back to the days before they found Beth, he knows that Daryl was a mess. A hopeful mess, but a mess nonetheless. He heard Daryl cry quietly each night before going to sleep, and everyone heard his screams in the night. He blamed himself for losing her.

But not anymore. The memory of the trade is still fresh in his mind.

* * *

_At first, all they saw was Carol. Then one of them moved, and suddenly there was a flash of blonde and blue eyes. A gasp makes him glance over at Daryl, and then back at Beth. They were staring at each other, and the look of hope on their faces was heartbreaking. He knows the girl would have run for the redneck if she could, but one of the bigger doctors has a death grip on her and won't let go._

_He hears the cops talking, talking about Lamson, but he doesn't give a damn. They have more important things to worry about._

_The lady officer is staring into his eyes, and he doesn't like that. Doesn't like it one bit. But then she gestures with an arm and they start wheeling Carol over to the small group at the end of the hall. He can't help but smile slightly. He's glad to see her looking as good as she does._

_He walks one of them forward, and then Carol is beside them. They exchange quiet greetings before he lifts her out of the chair and onto her feet. Daryl takes her by the arm, and suddenly it's time._

_She's in full view now and his jaw clenches at the sight of her face, now bearing two cuts that will turn into nasty scars. Daryl curses under his breath, and he knows that he noticed too._

_He's got the other one by the arm, and the lady is holding Beth a little too tightly for his liking. But then he's walking forward again, and suddenly she's in his arms. He cups her face into his hand grimacing slightly at the site of her. She's got tears in her eyes and she leans into him slightly. Satisfied that the cuts and the arm are the only thing that he needs to worry about, he presses a small kiss to her head and hands her off to Daryl._

_**This is it,** he thinks, **they're home free.**_

_The lady officer's voice stops him._

_"Now I just need Noah."_

_**Shit. **_

_"And then you can leave."_

_They all turn back to look at her, and for a second, she looks frightened by the stares. She should. They haven't come this far to lose another one now._

_He walks back to her with angry strides. "That wasn't part of the deal," he snaps. _

_"Noah was my ward," she says determinedly, "Beth took his place and now I'm losing her. So I need him back." _

_**You don't need shit, bitch. **_

_One of the officers tries to object, but the lady stops her. _

_"My officers put their lives on the line to find him." Her voice is softer now, but the look in her eyes tells him she ain't backing down. He waves his hand slightly at Daryl, and his brother gets the message, tightening his hand on his crossbow strap. They're probably going to have to fight their way out. _

_"One of them died," she continued. _

_"He's staying." Daryl growls. _

_"He's one of mine, you have no claim on him."_

_"The boy wants to go home," he replies, "So you have no claim on him." _

_"Well then we don't have a deal." _

_He tries to object, but the boy stops him, assuring him that this is fine. Noah starts to walk over the the other side of the hall, and it's then that Beth stops him." _

_"Wait!"_

_He can see that Daryl is reluctant to let her go, but he does. _

_"It's okay, Beth." _

_"I knew you'd be back." _

_He can see something snap in Beth as Dawn speaks again, and she lets Noah out of the death grip she has him in to stare the lady dead in the eye. _

_"I get it now." _

_Alarm bells go off in his head, and he yanks her to him. Not a second too soon. Beth whips a pair of scissors out of her cast and shoves them into the lady's neck. A gunshot goes off, and she goes limp in his arms as the cops sinks down into a pool of blood. He can see that Beth is bleeding to, only not as badly. She's still breathing, and that gives him hope. _

_He passes her off to Daryl as he looks the other group dead in the eye. _

_"The deal is done," he says with finality, "And anyone who tries to stop us leaving will end up just like her." He points to the body lying on the ground to emphasize his point. _

_They walk out of that cursed building, and no one tries to stop them. _

* * *

He knows what's going on between the two of them, he knows what Beth is carrying. It scares him a little, but he knows that she is strong. She'll survive. Daryl won't let her go again.

He just has to make sure that Maggie Green doesn't find out in the wrong way, that way Daryl will survive.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER, YOU DAMN REDNECK!"

Too late.


	3. Chapter 3: Maggie

_**Thanks for the support everyone!**_

_**Reviewers last chapter:**_

_**terrazas14**_

_**DarylDixon'sgirl1985**_

_**Genni**_

_**This actually isn't going to be that long. I'm planning at least one chapter for each current character in the group, and maybe more than one for characters central to the storyline. Just thought you guys would want to know!**_

* * *

_**Maggie**_

She's going to kill him.

She's going to skin him alive and leave him for the walkers while she drags Beth somewhere he can never find her.

She's got a gun in her hand, and she watches him through a haze of red. It's similar to the one that she saw in the brief moments that she thought Beth was dead. It had coated her vision then, and she had a gun in her hand, ready to storm the hospital. Glenn had stopped her, had shown her that Beth was still breathing. Still alive. She would have taken her from Daryl, but she had been too weak with relief at the time. She's not now.

He's got his hands places no man should be touching.

He's destroyed her sister's innocence.

She's going to kill him.

* * *

She had found them purely by accident. It was her turn for watch duty, her and Glenn. He took the north side, and she took the south. She was just standing there when she heard the moan.

She knew instantly what was happening. Admittedly, for a moment she thought that it might be Rick and Michonne, and she wanted a small glimpse in order to prove her theory. She has never regretted an assumption so much in all her life. Not even when she thought Hershel might be cheating on Beth's momma.

Daryl's got her pressed up against a tree, one hand down her pants and the other around her neck. He's kissing her hard, and it looks like he's about to strangle her or something.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO MY SISTER, YOU DAMN REDNECK!"

So what if it's more of a shout then a question.

Before she can even blink, Daryl pulls himself away from Beth and shoves her behind him. He's on the defense instantly, before he realizes that it's just her.

"Oh, shit."

"Oh shit is right Bethy," she shouts, ignoring the others as they all run to see what the screaming is about, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

The two of them are glancing uncertainly at the others. Rick is the only one who doesn't look shocked or angry.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" She asks him.

"I know everything that happens in my camp."

"And why didn't you tell me?!" She demands.

"It wasn't your business."

"Anything that concerns Beth is my business, she's mine to look after!"

"That's funny," Beth says, "I wasn't your concern until you knew for sure I survived the attack on the prison. Even though Daryl told you I was alive. You didn't believe him."

"Baby," she replies hurriedly, "I made a mistake. Like you're making now. I get it honey, you want to rebel. But shacking up with some uneducated idiot old enough to be your father ain't the way to do it."

"You know, I used to look up to you. God, I was such a fool."

Hearing her little sister say that to her in that small clearing with all of their friends and family present is the biggest slap to the face anyone has ever given her.

"Maggie, I love you, okay? You're my sister and that is not going to change. But you gave up on me. Daryl never did. He fought for me with every breath he took. He always will. It's one of the reasons I love him so much-"

"You're a child! You don't know a damn thing about love!" Her words are angry.

"I know a lot more than you think."

"Look, Maggie-"

"Don't you dare say a word, Dixon. You ruined her, you realize that. My daddy trusted you. If he were here, he'd put a bullet in your child-fucking ass. How can you look me in the eye after you touched my sister?"

"She's not a child anymore Green." His voice is cold, and she knows that she's crossed a line. "In this world, age don't mean a damn thing. And even if it did, she's eighteen and free to do whatever the hell she wants. And that is exactly what she will do no matter how hard you try to stop her. I learned my lesson, and stopped trying."

It's almost becoming hard for her to breath. Beth has grown up in the time she was away, and she doesn't even recognize her little sister anymore. The girl looks like Beth and talks like Beth, and it is Beth but it isn't.

This new version of Beth is a strong, independent woman who clearly needs no one to take care of her. She wants the old Beth back, the one who would tell her everything and make Maggie feel like she had something important to protect and fight for. But that Beth is gone, more than likely gone forever. It's a hard piece of food to swallow.

She doesn't want to admit it, but she loved that Beth used to be needy. It made her feel like she was doing something important, protecting Beth because she needed her to.

Beth doesn't need or want her protection anymore. It stings.

What stings a little more is that she forgot Beth's birthday. She forgot the seventeenth one too. What kind of a sister is she?

"I oughta put a bullet in your brain, Dixon." The words are spoken out of anger, with no true intent behind them, but in the next instant Beth is standing in front of Daryl and has picked up his crossbow from where it was laying at the couple's feet. She's pointing it at her.

"I swear to god Maggie, if you do, I will shoot you myself."

The group can only stare at her in shock.


	4. Chapter 4: Carl

_**Thanks for the support everyone! Sorry I haven't updated recently, my grandparents showed up for a visit, and as much as I love writing, family always comes first.**_

_**Reviewers last chapter:**_

_**terrazas14**_

_**DarylDixon'sgirl1985**_

_**Genni**_

* * *

**Carl**

Making the choice to hand Judith off to Sasha and step between the two Green sisters is surprisingly easy. After all, if he doesn't, one of them is going to shoot the other. Maggie has her gun and Beth has her crossbow, and he can tell that if either of them gets angry enough (if they aren't already) some crazy shit is going to go down.

He's not going to lose anyone else.

He knows what Maggie is going through right now. He went through it the moment he saw Judith's bloody carrier back at the prison. But he also understands Beth's point of view in this situation. After all they have been through, she is no longer a child.

His dad would probably yell at him for this later, but he doesn't give a damn.

Emotions are running extremely high between the sisters and if one of them hurts the other, they will regret it for the rest of their life. However short it will be in this world.

He was right. The minute his dad saw what he was doing he yelled. It was easy to ignore Rick. Michonne's angry scream was much more terrifying than any threat his dad could ever hope to deliver, but he stood his ground.

"Both of you," he said, his voice surprisingly steady, "Put your weapons down."

Maggie opens her mouth, and he resists the urge to hit her. He's a proper southern gentlemen, after all, and he knows to treat all women like you would treat your mama.

"Do it." His tone brokers no argument. "Everyone else is gonna keep theirs since the racket the two of ya just made was enough to rouse any and all walkers in the area, but neither of you are going to hurt each other, and Maggie, ya ain't gonna lay a hand or a bullet on Daryl. So just put'em down."

To his surprise, they listen. Maggie shifts her gun-strap off of her shoulder and onto the ground, and Beth passes the crossbow back to Daryl.

"While we're all here," she drawls, "I might as well tell ya. I'm pregnant. And it's Daryl's."

The gruff southerner can't keep the look of animalistic pride off of his face, and Carl resists the urge to sigh.

Maggie is screaming again.


	5. Chapter 5: Carol

**Carol**

She should have seen this coming. It's official. Her pookie is all grown up now, with a family of his own.

She can only hope that Beth will make it through the birth, and that that baby will be alright. She saw how he was after Beth got shot, when she hadn't woken up for the next three days. Nearly losing that girl almost killed him. The days ahead are not going to be any kind of easy.

It's quieter now. Rick made them set up a bigger perimeter after he hit Maggie over the head and knocked her out. He had no other choice. Walkers in the area had already no doubt heard her but the group didn't want the screaming woman to lead the monsters straight to them. Glenn had put his wife in their tent and quietly congratulated Beth and Daryl.

"You better make an honest woman out of her, Dixon," he threatened half-heartedly. As if he had any chance of taking on her pookie.

"I've been trying. She won't let me."

"Ain't no point. I'm already yours."

Daryl got all gooey eyed after his girl said that and with a quick nod from Rick, took her to his tent to finish what they had started out in the woods.

"We'll try to be quiet." Beth said before she entered.

Daryl shook his head with a roguish grin before quickly following her, and she resisted the urge to laugh.

Beth was good for him. He had never had a chance to be young when he was with Merle, and now he had that chance.

She feels, more than hears Rick step up beside her.

"So, you knew, huh?" She asks teasingly.

"Like I said," he replied, "I know everything that goes on in my camp." He rubs his neck for a second, suddenly looking sheepish. "Didn't really know about the baby though. I mean, I knew. But not for sure until she said it."

She grins slightly, before becoming more somber. "We're gonna have to move now, ya know."

"What for?" Rick asks, staring at her in confusion.

She slaps him. She couldn't help herself.

"Are you kidding me?" She whisper-screams. If you honestly think that I'm gonna let Beth squat down in the dirt and have her baby outdoors, you've got another thing coming. We don't know how far along she is, so we just have to assume that we don't have much time."

"But we're safe here.."

"For how long, Rick? How long are we going to be safe out here in the open? That baby isn't going to be easy to take care of, and once she goes into labor it's going to be non-stop screaming. Or have you forgotten how Judith was when she was a newborn? Walkers are gonna hear it, and they're gonna come. Look, I get it. We've been here a few months and it's kept us well. There is plenty of hunting and a good source of water. But if you want Beth and her baby to make it, then we gotta find us a house or something. Something like another prison."

"And looked how well that protected us the first time!"

"We're smarter now. We learned, and we know better than we did when Lori was pregnant. But if we lose either of them, we lose them all. We gotta find another prison, Rick. Or at least something with a good fence. I won't have this kid ending up like Sophia, I refuse to let it live out here."

And with that, she left him sitting there on the ground, taking her watch.

"G'night."

"Night."

AS she crawls into her sleeping bag, she tries to ignore the sounds coming from the next tent over.

_At least someone's happy tonight. _

* * *

_Sorry about taking so long to update. I decided to take a break for the holidays, and I ended up pulling a few double shifts at work, which further delayed me. _

_Hope you enjoyed it!_


	6. Chapter 6: Abraham

**Abraham**

Maggie is screaming.

That's all he registers.

He can't really understand at first, how this strong woman who offered him her water and asked him if he wanted her to shoot him broke down so easily. But then the old woman and the black man she's holding onto move out of the way, and he sees the reason for her cry.

That Daryl man, that red-neck is carrying a body. And even from here, he can see the blood on her forehead.

He knew, deep down, that this was the girl they had ben searching for.

After Eugene's revelation, that he had lied, that there was no hope, he had latched himself onto the idea that this girl was going to make it out alive. It had been that thought that driven him, thinking that, even though he couldn't be reunited with his family maybe Maggie and Glenn could.

Looks like the world had other ideas.

Blood is rushing to his head, and he sees Glenn sitting directly behind Maggie, holding her. If it were any other time or place, he would make some crack about them getting a room. But it isn't some other time or place.

He sees, more than hears, Rick talking to Maggie. Trying to calm her down, he assumes, keep walkers from coming if they haven't already heard her.

But then he gets the shock of his life.

The dead girl lifts her head. His rifle is up before he can blink, and he's thinking that maybe, maybe now they can reanimate even with a head wound. That thought terrifies him, and he tries to shoot her before she can bite Daryl, but Rick is there suddenly, and clocks him a good one.

"Maggie," the girl says, and he realizes that she's alive, "Shut up."


	7. Chapter 7: Daryl

**Daryl**

Beth was lying on top of him, arm slung over his chest.

"Remember our first time?"

He coughs on the drink of water he was taking.

"The hell, baby?"

"I asked you if you remember our first time."

He stares down at her, at the blonde on his chest. She's buck-ass nude, covered only by the sheet that he dragged across them when she sank onto his torso, panting and spent.

He thinks for a minute, and she cries, "Are you kidding me?" She slaps him across the chest and makes as if she's going to get up, but he drags her back down as he begins to laugh.

"Baby," he whispers as he cups her face, "How the hell could I forget?" She slaps him agains before drawing in for a deep, earth-shattering kiss.

"We went on a run, just you and me." He continues after she pulls away. "Got surrounded by about ten, maybe fifteen walkers after we got the baby food for Jude." He pulls her on top of him, making him straddle her as he sits up, cradling her back.

"It was a hard fight, and we had some close calls, but we won. You were standing there, in a tank top and some ripped jeans, covered with blood, and I wasn't much better. I was being an idiot, staring at you, so I didn't see the walker coming up behind me. Still can't decide if I missed him the first time or you did. But your eyes got all wide and pretty in that innocent way of yours, and the next thing I know your jumping in my arms. You wrapped your legs around me and shoved your knife in its head just before it bit me. Hottest thing I've ever seen."

"Then you yanked down my pants and said you couldn't wait any longer. And you took me there, right in a pile of corpses. I still think that logically, I should be mad at you for that. But I can't be." She smiled.

Between them, she can feel him, and she knows where this is going in the end. But not before she tells him.

"I didn't look Maggie in the eye for days."

"It's okay."

"We're going to have to tell them soon, you know." Her tone is serious, and it kills the buzz a little bit.

"Why, baby? Why can't this just be us?"

She leans down and kisses him lightly, placing them all over his face, his eyes, and his cheeks. He's back in the mood, and then she is kissing his ear. Leaning down closer so every part of their bodies is touching, she whispers, "It's not just us anymore," while drawing his hand to her stomach. He can barely open his mouth before she's on him again, harder and more desperate this time, and it's only seconds before he lets basic instinct take over, thrusting into her warmth, and starting the dance that they both know so well.

When it's over, and they are both sated once more, he thinks back to what she said, and curses somewhat loudly.

"What is it?" She asks hurriedly, though she already knows.

"We're gonna need a bigger tent."

Her smile is the only answer he needs.


	8. Chapter 8: Glenn

**Glenn**

Beth was sitting by the fire when Maggie approached her.

"What the hell are you thinking, Bethy?"

He winced. That was not a good start.

Beth was ignoring her sister, scooping a little bit of stew into a wooden bowl Eugene had carved for them. It turns out the idiot had one use after all.

"Bethy."

Still no response. The blonde was finishing up her task now, standing up and making her way over to what had become "Beth and Daryl's" tent.

"Hey!" Maggie grabbed her arm. "Don't you dare walk away from me."

"Oh, that is rich coming from you!"

Ah. Here we go.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Are you kidding me? Are you seriously asking that question? God dammit Maggie..."

She would have said more, but Maggie slapped her.

"Daddy would be so ashamed of you," she hissed, ignoring the tears that were filling her sisters eyes. He would have stepped in, but he knew that wasn't a good idea. The others crawling out of their tents to watch knew it too.

"Listen to yourself, Beth! You're cussing, and you're serving him like you're his slave. Does he hit you? Touch you? Make you do it even when you say no? Baby, tell me what he is doing to you and I'll make it stop, I promise. If he threatened the kid, we'll kick him out. Rick won't let him stay.

His wife has her sister by the arms, and she's shaking he slightly. Beth is crying, and Daryl is there suddenly, trying to step in between them. He stops the redneck, shaking his head.

"I know better than anyone here what it looks like when a Greene girl is about to blow up. Beth is gonna let her have it, trust me. Let them do this."

He pats the man on the shoulder lightly, in what is meant to be a comforting gesture. He has to admit, he doesn't understand. Beth had always been something that represented innocence and purity, and Daryl represented everything that wasn't. But somehow, those two loved each other. He knew it, because every time their eyes met, it was there. He just couldn't understand why Maggie couldn't see it.

"Was it like this between you and Merle?"

"Nah. Was worse. Bu' no matter what, we was brothers."

"Even after you left him at the prison?"

"And every day since."

"Think you'll ever see him again?"

"Ya know we will. Wouldn't surprise me if he came walkin' through the trees right now."

Behind them, their girls are still going at it.

"Listen to yourself, Maggie! You're talkin' crazy! You're actin' like we're back on the farm or at the prison, back when I was weak and couldn't do anything. Those days are long gone, and I'm stronger now. I don't need you, or anyone else to protect me! I can do more than just watch Judith, and you all know it! Doesn't keep you from dancing around me, acting like I'm the innocent, weak little girl I used to be.

"Well, guess what, I don't get to be a little girl in this world. I got it beat out of me, and Daryl is the only one who gets that. Don't pretend that you were worried, don't you dare act like you cared. I saw the signs, Maggie! You didn't think that I could make it, so all you did was look for Glenn. You never once thought about me. Just him."

He winces slightly at the guilt that gnaws at him, but pushes it aside when he hears a loud rustling through the trees.

Everyone is instantly on alert, praying silently that the girls hadn't attracted any walkers. The camp is pretty much packed up, since they were moving out in a few hours, but some of the younger ones are still sleeping and they are no where near ready to leave in a hurry.

He is the one who sees it first, and he lowers his guard as he laughs at the irony.

"So," Merle Dixon growls out as his body follows his arm through the underbrush, "What'd I miss?"

* * *

Yes, I brought Merle back to life. I can do that, for here I am a god! :)

I liked his character a lot and frankly, I want to see a bit of a brotherly-sisterly relationship between him and Beth. I'll figure out how he survived later in a flashback scene.


	9. Chapter 9: Merle

**Merle**

So his brother is shacking with the little blonde bombshell.

Honestly, he's surprised.

Of all the people he could have ever imagined Daryl ending up with (and despite all evidence to the contrary, he has a fairly vivid imagination) Beth Green was the last person on earth he saw with his little brother.

It's been about a week now since he walked out of those trees. Rick found them a decent sized farmhouse with enough rooms for them all, and they're planning on staying there until the blonde gives birth to the spawn.

He's gonna be an uncle.

That thought scares him more than any walker ever could.

Rick's got the men building a fence. He's got know idea how long they are actually staying, but he wants it to be safer than the prison. Merle isn't stupid. He sees how they watch the girl and her slowly growing stomach. Maggie is the only one with slight disgust in their eyes, but they all posses fear. He hasn't asked what happened to the sheriffs wife, and frankly, he's not sure he wants to know.

He's got enough to worry about.

After all, there's a baby on the way. Not just any baby. A Dixon baby.

That means that Beth is a Dixon. That means that she is his brother's woman and that means that now she is, however unofficial, a Dixon.

That means that she is his, as much as she is Daryl's. His to look after, and his to protect.

He intends to do a good job. The best job.


	10. Chapter 10: Beth

**Beth**

She doesn't remember much of the incident, as Daryl has taken to call it. She was angry, and then there was a flash of light and blinding pain before it all went dark. The next thing she knew she was waking up in his arms next to a campfire with people surrounding her. It was disorienting, being outside. Maggie had tried to get to her but she had instinctively turned into Daryl, frightened out of her wits.

He never left her side after that.

It made the others stare sometimes, how close they were to each other. And they were always touching, like somehow if they held on right now the other person would never disappear on them again. At night, when she clutches him to her, she believes that in spite of all the hell they have seen and in spite of knowing that each day could be their last.

She almost met Death once without Daryl Dixon. It's not going to happen again.

If he dies, she's going with him.

What happened next was only natural. Slow building, maybe, but natural. Judith is almost two when they have their first kiss, and she is nearly nineteen, or so she guesses. Time and age seem to have no meaning anymore.

She doesn't even bother to ask how old Daryl is. She knows it's enough for Maggie to pitch a fit should she ever find out. So they do their best to hide it, with kisses stolen under the cover of the dark and the hunting trips they take turned into so much more.

God, if she ever knew how kissing him would make her feel like this, make her feel alive and loved and cherished all at once, she would have done it a lot sooner. Daryl isn't like the others. He's quiet but loud and when he comes up behind her she can't help but look at him and wonder what the hell she ever did to deserve him.

She asked him this at one point, and he just laughed at her and said, "Some things and some people are jus' meant to be. Deservin' ain't got no part in it."

He isn't like the others. He doesn't treat her like glass, like she's going to break right after the incident. Everyone else does. It's always, "Be careful Beth." and "Don't strain yourself Beth." They don't even let her hold Judith the first few days, and that's when she starts screaming until they do. Yeah, it was a little childish, but she didn't give a damn. She just wanted her baby.

But Daryl was the one who put that little girl in her arms. Daryl was the one who got her her own crossbow, who took her hunting and who acted like nothing was wrong because really, nothing was. Nothing had changed for her since the funeral home, but everything had changed for the others. She was all kinds of different now, and the others-Maggie didn't like that.

It's a good thing she doesn't really care anymore. She's got more important things to worry about.

Like the baby in her belly and Daryl's brother for instance. Merle won't leave her side unless she's with Daryl. It's a good thing, in a way, because it limits her fights with her sister, but it's a bit tiring to be constantly surrounded by Dixon men. She lays a hand on her stomach and reckons if she survives this one, there will be others. She better get used to it.

She wants to get used to it.


	11. Chapter 11: Michonne

**Michonne **

She watches Maggie like a hawk.

Okay, so she can't watch her every second of every day. But she tries. And she knows that when she isn't watching, one of the Dixon brothers will be there to keep her from Beth. It's harder than it looks. Maggie is always trying to get to her sister. The girl can't seem to stay away, and she doesn't blame her. Family is everything out here in this world since the dead started walking, family is what you kill for, fight for, and die for.

She would do all of these things for her little rag-tag family, and she knows that Maggie would do even more for her baby sister.

But she also knows that Maggie needs to wake up and smell the roses. They don't have time for this crazy shit. The group has spent more than a year wandering like always. They're ready to be done.

Which is why when Noah pops up, offering his old home as a possible safe zone, she says they should go for it without hesitation. Fences. Houses. Possibilities. They haven't had those things in...forever.

And before long, they all know that they're going to need them.

Which is why she's doing this. She let them drag her across country, again, to a little place outside of Richmond. Five hundred miles and two Carolina's away, a long trip. Sure, she wants a home. But she wasn't that desperate.

"It's got a wall." Rick said.

"It's got people." Rick said.

She wondered what would happen if it doesn't work out, but he's got an answer for that too. "It's a long trip, but if it works out, it's the last long trip we have to take."

"What if it doesn't work out?" Someone asked.

"Then we'll find a new place." She had replied.

She knew in her heart that no matter what, they would find a place.


	12. Chapter 12: Noah

**Noah**

He wonders if he should have done this. He wants to see his family so badly, to see if they are still alive, and he wants his new family safe. They've been wandering for a year or two now, and they're all pretty tired. But with Beth in her current condition, he really wonders if he should drag them this far on a hope.

_What if there is nothing there? _

_What if they're all gone? _

He doesn't want to think about it, but at the same time, sitting in this car with nothing else to do and miles to go, he has to. He has no other choice. He knows what happened to Rick's wife when Judith was born, and he's so terrified that the same thing will happen to Beth. Everyone else is to, he can tell. They don't let the pregnant teenager see anything but happy faces and smiles but when he back is turned, worry and fear crinkles around there eyes.

He's caught Maggie crying a few times since Beth told them. Glenn is always with her though, which is why he never went to her. She's not his family anyway, not like Beth and Daryl and Rick and Carol have become.

He looks behind him to the back of the van he is traveling in. Carl is seated next to him with Judith in her carrier, Rick is driving, and Daryl and Beth are in the back on the floor. Daryl threw a fit about her being back there with him until Beth said she would be ten times more comfortable lying down.

He looks back up, and sees that they are approaching the state line. He points this out to the others.

"This is gonna be weird," Daryl says. "Ain't ever been outside of Georgia, far as I know."

"Well then," Beth snarks, "It's about time."

He smiles.

No matter what, he's got a feeling that it'll be alright.


	13. Chapter 13: Tyreese

**Tyreese**

"Went the way that it had to. The way that it was always going to."

Beth looks at him quizzically.

"Don' gimme that look girl," he says gruffly, "I know what else is on your mind besides your man and that baby. You thinkin' about the hospital again, aren't ya?"

Her hand goes to her stomach, and she nods.

They stopped a little while ago, because Noah said they were almost there. Said from there they needed to go on foot. Carol and Maggie are staying behind with Beth and Judith while the rest go on ahead. He had pulled her to the side when he saw her troubled expression. He'd been seeing it a lot here lately, ever since she got out of the hospital. It had stopped for a while, but once the baby started to make itself known in a small but visible bump she had started wearing it again.

"Ya wan' the truth?" She asks him softly, and he nods in response.

"Fine." Her voice suddenly turns cold. "I never stop thinkin' about what I did there. Never. Not a day goes by that it doesn't cross my mind. And sure, Daryl tells me that I had no other choice, that there wasn't no other way that was gonna go down. I told him what happened, and he tells me I did the right thing. But I still killed a man, Tyreese, whatever anybody says. No matter what we went through, no matter what I saw, I never had to do that before."

There's tears in her eyes, and he hurts, hurts for her so bad he can feel his heart practically ready to burst out of his chest. He knows the look on her face, because he sees it on his own whenever he has the chance to look in a mirror. She's tired, so tired she can feel it in her bones, even down to her very soul. The darkness that surrounds them all has got a hold on her, and him, and for the life of him he doesn't know how to banish the haunted look out of her eyes. Daryl is probably the only one who could even try.

"And then I went after Dawn, and I was gonna do it again. Sure, it was to survive and all, and the others have killed so many, but this is different. This is me. Sometimes I don't know how I'm going to get out of bed, and then later when I go down to whatever river or pond we're camped next to I see red on my hands that won't wash off. I've taken life, do I have the right to bring one into the world?" She's clutching her stomach, and her tears are now making tracks down her dirty face.

"You got as much right as anybody in this world at happiness, Beth Greene. Don't think for a second that you don't. You did what you had to, and it happened the way that it was supposed to. My dad used to insist that we kids watch the news when we were younger," she stares at him as the conversation takes an abrupt turn, "There was always something on on the radio, some horror that I couldn't wrap my mind around. But he made us listen. He called it paying the High Cost of Living."

"That's why I don't care what you did, or about what I've done, or what will happen in the future. We've all done horrible things Beth, things that make the stories I heard on the radio back then sound like fairy tales. But we did them because we didn't see any other way out. And just because they happened don't mean we don't deserve some happiness. We all got a place that we're going to, we just ain't found it yet. But we will, we'll find it, and we'll make it. That baby of yours will be okay, and will be loved, and you won't have to raise it in a place where he will know fear. It's gonna be okay, trust me."

He knew he was babbling and probably not making any sense, but he didn't care. It was worth it to see her eyes light up for even a minute, then witness them get brighter as Daryl approached. He left the young woman in her man's capable hands.


End file.
